I will never knock someone for taking as much money as they possibly can.
Tomorrow is not promised and life is short, so get everything you can while you can. With that being said, I will never knock a player for taking less to try to secure his long-term legacy.
That is what Kevin Durant is going to do. He is not satisfied with one ring, he wants a lot of jewelry. Chris Haynes of ESPN breaks it down.
Golden State Warriors superstar Kevin Durant will decline his player option for the 2017-18 season and technically become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, but he will re-sign with the team, league sources tell ESPN.
The 2017 NBA Finals MVP will turn down a player-option salary of approximately $28 million to momentarily hit free-agency with the intentions of taking less than the max he’s eligible for as a 10-year veteran in order to improve the Warriors’ chances of re-signing reserve stud Andre Iguodala, league sources told ESPN.
By Durant taking about $4 million less than his max next year and waiting to get his long-term extension for at least another season, the Warriors would be able to use their Bird rights on an Iguodala deal that is far more comparable to what he’d see on the open market.
Durant likes it in the Bay and has set up numerous businesses in that area. He isn’t leaving anytime soon and with a core of KD, Steph, Klay and Draymond the Warriors are going to be in contention for a title for at least the rest of decade.